Last Updated on 3 days by Ashley Michael
EXCLUSIVE: White House Shuts Down “Fake News” Report About Replacing Hegseth Amid New Signal Chat Scandal
The White House has strongly denied a bombshell NPR report that officials are considering replacing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, dismissing it as “totally false news” amid a growing controversy over his alleged leaks in a private Signal chat.
“The @NPR story is fake news based on a single unknown source who clearly has no idea what they’re talking about,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted back to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. “As the President said this morning, he stands strongly behind @SecDef.”
The NPR report, citing an unnamed U.S. official, claimed the administration had quietly begun searching for Hegseth’s replacement.
The story dropped just as CNN revealed a second Signal chat scandal—this time involving Hegseth allegedly sharing sensitive military plans about a U.S. operation against Yemen’s Houthis in a private group that included his wife, brother, and lawyer.
Trump Backs Hegseth, Blames “Disgruntled Employees”
President Donald Trump and Hegseth spoke directly by phone Sunday night, according to CNN‘s Kaitlan Collins. A source familiar with the call said Hegseth addressed the controversy head-on with the President.
At his first public appearance Monday, Hegseth lashed out at “leakers and the press” for pushing what he called “hit pieces.” Trump quickly echoed the defense, suggesting the Signal chat leaks came from “disgruntled employees” trying to sabotage his administration.